Quote:
Originally posted by jumpmaster
Babe Ruth 14-15th baseball
1st base coach will not stay in the 1st base coaches box. 1st inning he is standing on the dirt next to 1st base. I got him to move into the box, then he comes out and is 2 steps into the grass from first. I have warned him quietly, no I warn him in loudly? I don't dump him. Right call?
After Peter's article's on Creative Ejections in 2003, I am also curious to hear from him. And yes, I have a Jekyl/Hyde reputation...and I like it.
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Glad to oblige:
This is a golden opportunity to be an a$$hole, if you think it necessary. If the game is going smoothly and you have absolutely no reason to suspect any future problems in the game, then you should never have brought up the issue of where the coach was standing. However, if the other coach was complaining, you are obligated to enforce this rule but then you have to enforce it on both teams.
Now, suppose that you have reason to suspect that this game is going into the crapper. You can wait for a controversial situation to come (probably over one of your calls) and deal with the bad situation at a moment not of your choosing. The resulting ejection will be blamed on your bad call and it will travel around your association that you have bad judgment. Umpires want to stab other umpires in the back in order to get their good games.
OR
You can eject the first base umpire for being out of the box after a warning. I can guarantee that everyone will leave you alone once the s$$$house from that ejection winds down. They will think you crazy, unreasonable, and an a$$hole. Short of an ejection, you can publically show up the first base umpire by publicly chewing him out.
Therefore, when I suspect that a game will go south for any reason, I look for an excuse early in the game to publicly show up a coach or dump him. Everyone gets the message that I am not a person to be messed with. By choosing the moment for a confrontation, I can plan what I will say and more important, make sure that the confrontation has nothing to do with one of my calls.
This is usually a poor idea in NCAA baseball and Men's Leagues. It is a great idea, however, in summer baseball and especially under 18 baseball.
Peter